History of Psychology

Want To Study Psychology?

"Only by exploring psychology's origins and studying its development can we see clearly the nature of psychology today. Knowledge of history brings order to disorder and imposes meaning on what appears to be chaos, putting the past into perspective to explain the present."

The history of psychology is a fascinating topic in its own right; full of intrigue, controversy, irrepressible characters and profoundly influential insights into human behavior. This page will seek to showcase the discipline's pioneers, schools of thought and pivotal studies.

There are many important landmarks in the timeline of psychology - here are just a few.

Pioneers

See following link to learn about the life and work of psychology's most eminent pioneers.

Classic Articles

The All-About-Psychology.Com classics collection offers free full-text access to the most important and influential journal articles ever published in the history of psychology, including contributions from the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. You can check out the classics collection via the following link.

Quality Resources

This Week in The History of Psychology

Excellent podcast show (2006-2012) hosted by Christopher D. Green, Professor of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada with over thirty fascinating broadcasts. For example, Click Here to listen to an interview with Professor David Robinson on the founder of experimental psychology Wilhelm Wundt.

The Archives of the History of American Psychology

Established in 1965, the Archives of the History of American Psychology is the world’s largest repository of manuscripts, monographs, media, and artifacts relevant to the history of psychology and related human sciences. The collections document the history of psychology in all of its forms, tracing it from the laboratory rooms in the late nineteenth century to the hospitals, schools, and businesses throughout the twentieth century. The Cummings Center for the History of Psychology (CCHP) is dedicated to preserving, organizing, and documenting these materials and making them available for research, scholarship, and interpretation.

Many thanks to John Bean Media Assistant at The Archives of the History of American Psychology for letting me know about this excellent resource.

Essential Reading

Documenting a significant person, event or landmark in the history of psychology every day of the year, the aim of this book is to demonstrate that psychology is a discipline bursting with fascinating topics of investigation and scientific research.

Featuring the life and work of eminent thinkers, revolutionary ideas and groundbreaking publications; you'll find this a thoroughly engaging read whatever your connection with psychology - student, educator, professional or general interest.

Ulric Neisser was born. A profoundly influential figure in the field of cognitive psychology, Neisser's classic book on the subject 'Cognitive Psychology' was instrumental in establishing cognitive ps…